A £9million penthouse overlooking Buckingham Palace and a helicopter have been seized during raids targeting allies of a Chinese 'romance scam kingpin'. The four-bedroom, 3,250-square-foot property is thought to be owned by an associate of Chen Zhi, who the Foreign Office has identified as the leader of a network of scam centres in Cambodia and Myanmar'. These scams trick victims across the world into handing over their money through fake romantic relationships and fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. Through his company, Prince Group, Chen is said to have built casinos and compounds used as scam centres, and laundered the proceeds. These are Chinese-language online marketplace Xinbi, for its role providing cryptocurrency-based services to scam centres including £8 Park and Legend Innovation Co, which operates £8 Park.

Source: Daily Mail March 27, 2026 19:50 UTC